Air control means for oil burner apparatus



Sept. 12, 1950 F. RAVNSBECK AIR CONTROL MEANS FOR OIL BURNER APPARATUS Filed Oct. 3, 1947 Patented Sept. 12, 1950 former.

AIR CONTROL SFOR OIL BURNER APPARATUS Fred Itavnsbeck, Chicago, 111. Application October 3, 1947 Serial No. 777,649

My invention relates to oil burner apparatus and has for its object the provision of anew and improved form and arrangement of parts by which the delivery of air under pressure to the point of combustion is effected and controlled so as to cause the flame to assume the desired form to suit the wide variety of fire-boxes and combustion chambers found in connection with different heater installations. It is one of the objects of my invention to provide an arrange ment of this type by which the flame may be made to be long and narrow, or at the other extreme to be short and bushy, or may be given any desired intermediate shape to meet changed requirements. It is one of the objects of the invention to provide an arrangement of this type by which the necessary adjustment can be made conveniently while the burner is in operation, thus making the construction easy to regulate.

For accomplishing my several objects I have provided an arrangement comprising a plurality of vanes with which the air is brought into contact in its movement from the blower to the point of combustion, the outer end portions of the vanes being mounted in fixed position, with the inner end portions of the vanes pivotally mounted so as to be swung to any desired angular position with respect to said outer end portions of the vanes so as to control the direction of movement of the air streams as they approach the point of atomization and combustion. It is one of the objects of the invention to provide a novel arrangement of means for controlling the positions of said inner end portions of the vanes,

whereby they may be caused toswing in unison angular positions.

It is another object of the invention to improve devices of thi type in sundry details hereinafter pointed out. The preferred means by which the 4 several objects have been attained are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which l is a vertical cross sectional view through the preferred form of my improved device, .being taken substantially at the line ll of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal verticalsectional view through improved device.

Fig. 3 is a view smilar to a'porton of Fig. .1 but showing a changed position of certainof the parts; and

Fig. 4. is a sectional View taken on a substantially enlarged scale at the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the several figures of the drawing, in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference characters, it and l l 5 Claims. (01.158-77) indicate interfitting casing members, from which a third casing member [2 leads toward the right in Fig. 2 and a fourth casing member It leads toward the left in said figure, the casing member is being connected in spaced relationto the casing member It so as to permit air to enter between said two casing members. In' the arrangement shown, the casing member I3 is formed of a plurality of parts. The several connected casing members are designed to be mounted in fixed position, serving as the housing and also as the framework for the operating parts.

Mounted in the, housing by means of a bearing Hi, there is a hollow shaft [5 designed to be driven by power from any suitable source, having a centrifugal fan or blower It fixedly mounted thereon so as to rotate with the shaft for forcing .air outwardly away from the shaft, such air being admitted axially along the shaft from the right in Fig. 2 through the housing member 12. A

worm IT on the shaft it drives a worm gear It for operating a pump not further shown.

Within the hollow shaft Hi there is a fuel pipe [9, adapted to have a supply of fuel oil forced therethrough toward the left in said Fig. 2 for escape through an outlet port in a cap 26 secured on the end of the pipe. The pipe H1 is held stationary with the pipe and the cap out of contact with the shaft so as to permit the shaft to be driven at high speed without interference by friction or vibration.

On the forward end of the shaft 15 at the left 7 in Fig. 2, I have mounted an atomizer member .35 and may readily be locked in any desired adjusted El in the form of a forwardly flaring sleeve mounted in position by means of screw-threads so as to be capable of being tightened firmly .against a shoulder formed in theshaft, such atomizer sleeve being adapted of course to rotate with the shaft. In fixed position about the atomizer sleeve, I have provided an air cone nozzle 22, also in the form of a sleeve, and having its forward end in very slightly spaced relationship to the wall of the atomizer sleeve and ,positioned slightly to the rear of the forward end of the atomizer sleeve. This air cone nozzle is mounted by means of screw-threads in the forward end of a forwardly tapered air cone collar 23 which is rotatably mounted, in turn, in a centralopening in the casing member It. By this arrangement, the air cone nozzle is made adjustable forwardly and backwardly about the atomizer sleeve 2|.

The arrangement is such that the air forced outwardly away from the shaft by the fan or blower It is caused to pass about the outer edge of a baflie plate 24 secured fixedly in position in backwardly spaced relationship to the wall of the casing member i0, passing thence inwardly to the shaft and the atomizer sleeve 2!, and then forwardly through a centrally positioned outlet port for escape between the walls of the sleeves 22 and 2!. In the arrangement as described, with the air cone sleeve or nozzle it closely surrounding the atomizer sleeve 2 i, the air issues between the sleeves at their forward end in the form of a blast.

As will be readily appreciated, the air forced outwardly by centrifugalforce by reason of the rotation of the fan it acquires also a whirling motion about the interior of the housing portion made up of the casing members In and H. For cutting down this whirling motion of the air, inwardly extending vanes are provided, comprising stationary vane portions 25 on the inner face of the wall of the casing member it], such stationary vane portions being are shaped, and having their outer ends pointed, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Opposite to each of the stationary vane portions 25, I have provided an adjustable vane portion 26, said adjustable vane portions being in the form of arms pivotally mounted by means of screws 2i on the inner face of the wall of the casing member it, such arms being adapted to swing into directly radial positions or into angular positions in either direction circumferentially with respect to the statonary vane portions, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The vane portions 25 and 25 are of such width as to extend from the face of the wall of the casing member 10 to the face of the plate 24, whereby the entire mass or" air forced outwardly by the fan is caused to flow inwardly in turn in separated streams along the faces of the vanes and thus to be forced into the comparatively narrow space about the air cone nozzle at the desired angle depending on the positions of the adjustable vane portions 26. By reason of the curved form of the stationary vane portions 25 the air is received and divided into separated streams between the bafiie plate 24 and the wall of the casing to very great advantage and with a minimum of turbulence.

The means for controlling the positions of the adjustable vane portions 26 comprises a series of pins 28 carried by the air cone collar 23 extending rearwardly into engagement with grooves 29 cut lengthwise along the front faces of such adjusta'ble vane portions. When the collar 23 is rotated in clockwise direction in Fig. 1 from the position as illustrated in said figure, the adjustable vane portions 26 are caused to swing in counter clockwise direction into the positions as shown in Fig. 3, or to any intermediate positions as may be desired as controlled by the amount of rotation of said collar 23. The means for rotating the collar 23 comprises a pin 30 removably mounted in a socket 3| in the edge portion of the collar, the parts being held in their adjusted positions by means of one or more machine screws 32 (see Fig. 1) extending through arc shaped slots 33 into suitable screw-threaded openings in the casing member 10.

I have found that by the adjustment of the ad justable vane portions 26 the form of the flame produced by the burning of the vaporized fuel at the end of the atomizer sleeve 2! can be controlled with a great deal of nicety. With the adjustable vane portions 26 standing in their directly radial positions, a long narrow flame is produced. With such adjustable vane portions swung in clockwise direction from such radial positions into the positions as shown in Fig. l, the flame is shortened into the form of a bushy fire which is comparatively much broader and rounder. Under some circumstances, when there is a substantial degree of turbulence of the secondary or auxiliary air, satisfactory results are attained by swinging the adjustable vane portions in counter clockwise direction toward the positions illustrated in Fig. 3, this setting serving also to produce a long narrow flame.

By the use of my improved construction, I am enabled to control the shape and the size of the fire produced so as to adapt the flame to the conditions under which the fire is being used. The arrangement is such that the atomizer sleeve and the air cone nozzle can be readily removed for replacement of either or both of them by otherparts of slightly difierent size or shape if desired. It should be noted also that the air cone collar 23 can be adjusted while the burner is op erating, for regulating the positions of the adjustable vane portions 26, so that my construction is very effective and very convenient in use.

While I prefer to employ the form and arrangement of parts as illustrated and as above described, the invention is not to be limited to such construction and arrangement except as the same may be specifically claimed, it being understood that changes might well be made in the construction and arrangement without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim- 1. In an oil burner, the combination of a casing, a rotary blower for forcing air outwardly away from the center of said casing, means comprising inwardly extending vane members between which said air after its movement outwardly flows inwardly toward a centrally positioned outlet port, adjustable vane members pivotally mounted at their outer ends closely adjacent to the inner ends of said first named vane members so as to act as prolongations thereof in substantially the same transverse plane therewith, and means for holding said adjustable vane members firmly in adjusted positions for controlling the direction of movement of the air to said outlet port.

2. In an oil burner, the combination of a casing, a rotary blower for forcing air outwardly away from the center of said casing, means comprising inwardly extending vane members between which said air after its movement outwardly flows inwardly toward a centrally positioned outlet port, adjustable vane members pivotally mounted at their outer ends on axially extending pivots closely adjacent to the inner ends of said first named vane members so as to swing bodily in either direction into angularpositions with respect to said first named vane members, and means for swinging said adjustable vane members in unison into adjusted positions for controlling the direction of movement of the air to said outlet port and for holding said adjustable vane members firmly in adjusted positions.

3. In an oil burner, the combination of a casing, a rotary blower for forcing air outwardly away from the center of said casing, means comprising inwardly extending vane members between which said air after it movement outwardly flows inwardly toward a centrally positioned outlet port, adjustable vane members pivotally mounted at their outer ends closely adjacent to the inner ends of said first-named vane members so as to swing in either direction into angular positions with respect to said first-named vane members in the same transverse plane therewith, a member rotatably mounted opposite to said adjustable vane members having bearing means adapted upon rotary movement of the rotatable member to have camming engagement with said adjustable vane members for swinging said adjustable vane members in unison into adjusted positions for controlling the direction of movement of the air to said outlet port, and means for holding said rotatable member releasably in adjusted position.

4. In an oil burner, the combination of a casing, a rotary blower for forcing air outwardly away from the center of said casing, means comprising inwardly extending vane members between which said air after its movement outwardly flows inwardly toward a centrally positioned outlet port, adjustable vane members having longitudinally extending grooves in .a face thereof and. pivotally mounted at their outer ends closely adjacent to the inner ends of said first named vane members so as to swing in either direction into angular positions with respect to said first named vane members, a transversely positioned collar rotatably mounted opposite to said adjustable vane members, and pins extending from said transversely positioned collar into engagement with said longitudinally extending grooves in the adjacent faces of said adjustable vane members for swinging said adjustable vane members in unison b a camming action upon rotary movement of said collar for adjusting the positions of said adjustable vane members and thus controlling the direction of movement of the air to said outlet port.

5. In an oil burner, the combination of a casing, a rotary blower for forcing air outwardly away from the center of the casing, means comprising inwardly extending vane members mounted fixedly in position between which said air after its movement outwardly flows inwardly toward a centrally positioned outlet port, adjustable vane members in the form of stifi arms pivotally mounted at their outer ends closely adjacent to the inner ends of said first-named vane members so as to swing bodily in either direction into angular positions with respect to said firstnamed vane members in the same transverse plane therewith, and means for swinging said adjustable vane members in unison into adjusted positions for controlling the direction of movement of the air to said outlet port and for holding said adjustable vane members firmly against movement in either direction from their adjusted positions.

FRED RAVNSBECK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,452,559 Johnson Apr. 24, 1923 2,108,621 straitz Feb. 15, 1938 2,202,822 Behrens June 4, 1940 2,280,638 Ruff Apr. 21, 1942 

